For weeks, anyone with eyesight and even the slightest appreciation for design principles has been piling on the new M2 as flat out ugly. Everyone, including Frank, and all of us who wish we had Frank’s talent, were wrong. And this is why.
With the G87, BMW got the important design criteria correct; the hard points are perfect and an LCI can could easily correct the two obvious failures.
First, the hard points. I’ve attached a couple photos of a car I looked at yesterday. I left with this thought: The G87 is to the F87 as the F87 was to the E82 (1M) – each successor makes its predecessor look and feel mild. I sold a 135is before buying an f87. The 135is had 2 things in spades on the M2; steering feedback and sound. But the f87 is an objectively better car. Same with the g87 and the f87. There are exactly two compromises (unmentioned here), but the g87 is an objectively better car using the criteria relevant to the segment.
There. I said it.
The tile lines on floor in the photos below provide reference for how aggressively the fenders flair out from the body. Note the rocker width; it’s massive! Also note how the rocker now sweeps up to protect the leading edge of the rear fender. This means that after minor contact or tons of rock chips, you are buying a rocker and not body filler. Thanks BMW.
Next, when you sit in the driver’s seat of the g87, observe the outside character lines of the hood. These have the effect of diminishing the visual width of the car- just as the perfect hood lines of the e90 performed the same function. It is a design criteria feature lost with the f-gen cars and I’m glad it is back with the g87.
Last, note the proportion of the rear quarter to the rest of the car. Unlike my f87, the rear quarter proportions appear less awkward. And while I’m picking on my f87, let’s be honest about its own glaring design failure- the fake fender vents. The G87 has done away with them. Point g87.
In sum, the hard points from the front fenders, hood / cowl height, rockers, roof and rear quarter are each extraordinary. I recommend that when viewing the new M2 in person for the first time, inspecting those aspects closely. A healthy appreciation for BMW’s design success with the hard points is helpful when confronting the failures- the front and rear bumper covers.
And man, those two soft points are ugly. The upside is this; those are not hard points – which means that unlike cowl height or roofline, they can easily be remedied at the LCI stage or with whatever versions BMW will subsequently issue like trading cards.
The interior? Well, hate to say it, but the seats and materials feel like a step up from my f87. The sound system is superior. And while the massive screens are not my favorite, they are well laid out (boost gauge!), intuitive, and other people make like them just fine- that, screen presence, is much more subjective whereas the hard points on the g87 are objectively beautiful. I dislike screens. You may love them.
The net net is this: I was wrong. The g87 feels like an excellent successor to the f87. The hard points are a stunning design achievement. Let’s hope the factory corrects those absurd bumper covers in subsequent versions of the M2.
Whether g87 succeeds in becoming the last best ICE BMW, or whether the F87 will retain that crown, requires the hindsight of history.
That said, did I trade my f87? Hell no. I appreciate the rowdy nature of the f87 and I have regretted selling cars in the past. I’m just saying that I was wrong about the G87- from a design perspective, and when viewed in person, its hard points are design perfection.
Maybe ask me about trading again sometime after the LCI.
